Claire Happel Ashe is a versatile performer known for integrating diverse aspects of movement and music. She has appeared with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of the Dominican Republic, and many orchestras throughout the Chicago area.
An advocate of new music, Claire has performed with contemporary ensembles such as the Chicago Composers Orchestra, International Ensemble Modern Academy, Ostavská Banda, Berg Orchestra, and on the Pulitzer Series of St. Louis, curated by David Robertson. In addition, she has commissioned and premiered works by many composers, including Caroline Shaw, Stephen Andrew Taylor, Hannah Lash, Douglas Fisk, Lainie Fefferman, Nomi Epstein, Evan Premo, Frederick Evans, and her husband, Whitney Ashe.
In addition to performances on the modern pedal harp, Claire has performed on the Baroque triple harp since 2016 mentored by artists such as Cheryl Ann Fulton, Charlotte Mattax Moersch, and Christa Patton at the Madison Early Music Festival and Queens College Early Opera Workshop. She has performed on the Early Music at the Colby Barn Series, on WFMT Chicago, and with the Newberry Consort.
